Sublette COVID-19 update August 13, 2020
August 14, 2020
The Sublette COVID-19 Task Group held their weekly update on Thursday, August 13th. The recording of the update can be viewed on the Sublette COVID Facebook page.
Highlights:
Janna Lee, Sublette County Public Health Nurse Manager, reported that of the 40 total positive and probable COVID-19 cases in Sublette County, 39 are now recovered. They have 1 active case they are monitoring and 2 people in quarantine or isolation. There have been no deaths in Sublette County to date due to COVID-19. Wyoming has had 29 deaths across the state. She said they have cancelled their large blood draw event for fall, but are working on offering smaller office-based blood draws so people can get their blood work done by appointment. The latest modified health orders are in effect until August 31st that have some changes in allowing more people for outdoor group gatherings, up to 50% of the venue capacity. Public Health is doing monitoring local essential workers such as medical personnel and sheriff’s office staff. She did a shout out to Wind River Brew Pub in Pinedale as a local business staying open and doing a good job with handling staff and customers for COVID-19 safety precautions.
Dr. Fitzsimmons, Sublette County Public Health Officer, reported that now that we are a month away from our local big events (4th of July, Rendezvous, County Fair), they have not seen a lot of uptick in COVID-19 cases. Good job Sublette County, and shout outs for a good job to Kailey Barlow for Fair and Sam Harnack for Green River Rendezvous.They are offering COVID-19 antibody testing locally and the results are showing that there was COVID-19 present in Sublette County earlier than anyone knew. Schools are getting ready to open. There will be some adjustments needed in schools for COVID-19 precautions, and teachers and staff are working on that. Most high school sport will be happening, but there won’t be a lot of ability for spectators for the indoor sports. Schools are working on providing other ways for people to watch on the internet.
Emily Ray with the Pinedale Medical Clinic reported they are still offering COVID-19 testing for symptomatic people and pre-surgery testing daily at the Pinedale Clinic from 10-11AM. Antibody testing is also available, cost is $50 at the time of the test taken – results are back in 1-2 days. She passed on that the visitor policies have changed at St. John’s Hospital in Jackson and IRMAC in Idaho Falls – they are not allowing visitors into their hospitals except under special circumstances. Anyone needing to go to those facilities should check on the new policies and who is allowed to come in.
Sublette County Case Counts
Lab confirmed: 32
Probable: 8
Active cases: 1
Deaths: 0
Total Recovered: 39
Sublette County’s confirmed COVID-19 case count rose to 32 this week with the addition of one new case on Sunday, and another on Wednesday. While most COVID-19 patients in the county have been able to recover at home, one person remains hospitalized. Sublette County Public Health reports that there are currently 2 people in isolation or quarantine in Sublette County due to COVID-19. These individuals are located in the Pinedale area.
Worldwide:
Population: 7,000,000,000 (7 billion)
21 million cases
760,00 deaths
United States:
Population: 328,200,000 (328.2 million)
5 million cases
167,000+ deaths
Wyoming
Population: 550,000
2,600 lab-confirmed cases, plus more than 500 probable cases
30 deaths
PUBLIC HEALTH ORDERS EXTENDED TO AUGUST 31: Governor Mark Gordon announced that updated public health orders will ease restrictions on the size of permitted outdoor gatherings starting Aug. 16. Public Health Order No. 2 has been updated to allow outdoor gatherings of no more than 50% of venue capacity, with a maximum of 1,000 people as long as social distancing and increased sanitization measures are in place. Indoor gatherings in a confined space remain limited to 50 persons without restrictions and 250 persons if social distancing and sanitization measures are incorporated. The public health restrictions that apply to restaurants, bars, gyms and performance spaces will remain in place through August 31. Faith-based gatherings such as church services and funeral homes will continue to be permitted to operate without restrictions, with appropriate social distancing encouraged. Public Health Order No. 1 includes a requirement that students wear face coverings in schools in situations where 6 feet of separation cannot be maintained. Specific exemptions are listed in the order. Public Health Order No. 3 has also been extended, and applies to salons and other personal services.
COVID-19 TESTING: Patients experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 can call the Pinedale Clinic to schedule an appointment for a COVID-19 test. For those without insurance, call Public Health at 307-367-2157 to learn if you qualify for a free test voucher. Although the clinics are not able to test those without symptoms at this time, plans are being made to be able to do so in the future.
HOSPITAL VISITATION: Most visitors are now prohibited at hospitals in the region (with limited exceptions) to protect staff and patients from the risk of COVID-19 transmission. This policy includes St. John’s Health in Jackson, and Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center facilities in Idaho Falls.
ELECTION PRECAUTIONS Voters can expect to see a variety of measures in place to protect public health on Primary Election Day, Aug. 18. Face coverings are encouraged and will be available at polling places. Voters will be asked to sanitize hands and given a disposable pen for use in voting. Social distancing and limitations on room capacity will be followed.
For local updated COVID-19 information, go to https://www.sublettewycovid.com/. The next regular video update will be at 11:30AM on Thursday, August 20th. Sublette COVID-19 Helpline: 307-209-4037.
For video updates, see the Sublette COVID Facebook page.
|
